Comments- 10/26/16

Wyatt- https://wheatyl.blogspot.com/2016/10/human-nature.html?showComment=1477522571172#c7799136183579557106

Charles- https://20charlesl.blogspot.com/2016/10/lord-of-flies-human-nature.html?showComment=1477522502390#c8544365773459266120

Book

I just started a book called My Sunshine Away by M.O. Walsh. It is about a rape trial that happens in Louisiana. The books starts out by giving us a detailed backstory leading up to the event. I haven't finished this part of the book yet, but so far so good. The book shares about Louisiana's temperatures and weather and how unbearably hot and humid it is here.

This book so far is interesting to me because of the setting. I find it weird to read a book that is written in a place where I happen to live. The book gives great detail about each scene that takes place. I was looking for a book and just grabbed a random one and I really like reading this so far. I hope that the book gets even better as I continue reading.

Human Nature

I believe that everyone is born normal. Normal being neutral feelings and thoughts. When babies turn into children they get to the point where their feelings are more advanced and understandable than before. During the teenager years, attitudes change, thoughts change, friendships, and experiences change. When I first became a teenager I thought that life was A-OK, but I turned out to be oh so wrong. My middle school years were the worst years of my life because I realized who other were and how they had changed. Not everyone changed into a great person and that realization startled me. It was weird to think about how not everyone in the world has good intentions and good thought towards others. Many people make mistakes, me being one of them, and mistakes aren't always a bad thing. Mistakes can help you further understand yourself and others and what you can do to improve your daily life.

When I was younger I would always be forced to go to church because my parents couldn't just leave me at home. When I sat in church I would always want to know the time and when it would be over, or I would want to talk and go play with my friends. One day I actually listened to a sermon my priest was presenting to us and it not only changed my way of viewing others, but it changed the way I viewed myself. I can't really say that my parents have led me to believe these things because they have totally different opinions about things like this and I rarely discuss topics like this with them.

Book

I'm currently looking for a book to read. I finished a book recently and really enjoyed it. I like books that have action. I also will read a romance book. I don't really know what to write about because I don't have a book yet. If anyone has any book suggestions, please let me know.

Fall Break

I spent this Fall Break doing some pretty exciting stuff. I slept which is probably the highlight of this break. I ate some pretty good food. I exercised to burn off the food I ate. Basically that's what my break was. I'm kidding. Even though I did all of those things, I also spent the break with my neighbor and our friend and we stayed up all night and talked. I got to see my boyfriend twice and we watched The Walking Dead and took naps together. We went to the Zoo which was fun because I haven't been since I was a kid.

This break was a good way to decompress and forget about all of the stresses of school, all of the drama, and all of the people that I don't look forward to seeing 5/7 days of every week. I got to spend some quality time with my family and we haven't gotten to do that in a while. I enjoyed spending time with friends and family because you never know when something is going to happen that totally changes that.

Nerd Alert: Reading is Good For Your Health

In the article "Reading is Good For Your Health" Jen Christensen writes "People who have been reading fiction test higher for empathy. Other brain studies of people who listen to a story with intense emotion show a physical response. Their heart rate changes and brain scans show the area that corresponds with emotion lights up, as if the person was experiencing that emotion personally. Earlier studies have shown that reading can actually develop neural networks in your brain that can help you understand even more complex thought." I find this interesting because I enjoy reading fiction and when need be I can be very empathetic. Ms. Christensen also states that "Even if you are not a big reader, there's still hope. Past studies have shown serial television programs that are character driven such as "The West Wing" or " The Good Wife" also "can help you better understand what we human beings are up to," Oatley said. Other studies have shown watching character-driven sitcoms can lessen a viewers' prejudice." I don't watch T.V. as much anymore, but when I do I tend to watch comedies. I think that it is funny how parents don't allow T.V. sometimes but it turns out that T.V. can help you learn more about people.

I enjoyed reading this article because it taught me more about why reading can be good for you. I knew that reading was healthy, but I never fully understood how and why it was. I read books to distract me from parts of my life that I might be having trouble getting through. To me, books are a way for the author to express, past or present, feelings that they have felt during their life and think others may as well. This article really made me think about reading differently. I'm glad that I chose to read this.

Comments- Week 6

Ella- https://blogellac.blogspot.com/2016/10/free-post-103.html?showComment=1475714846589

Max-https://mhr416.blogspot.com/

Free Post- 10/2/16

One of the biggest struggles I have is being short. It's not so much that it bothers me, but the fact that people point it out a lot gets to me sometimes. I realize that I'm short and so I don't really need other peoples insight. If I can tell that the person who says it doesn't mean for it to hurt me than it's okay I guess.

Being short really gets on my nerves when it comes to reaching things. I have to jump on the counter to reach a certain cabinet in my house, or in the store I'll have to jump a few times or even call someone over to help me get something off of a tall shelf. I get that it's funny watching someone jump and struggle to reach something, but the fact that people don't realize that it hurts when they stare and laugh kind of bothers me. What if I were to laugh at them for something they are insecure about, it doesn't feel very good. But my mom always tells me good things come in small packages so hopefully she's right.

Short Story Response- "A&P"

A&P by John Updike was an interesting short story. I didn't appreciate how Mr. Updike made women look like objects. He questioned why girls even have brains and when I read that I was stunned that he wrote that. When I read this story I thought to myself "Why are we reading this??" because I found that the story had very offensive aspects in it.

This story really made me think deeper into understanding the world and how it has and has not changed over time. Some men still view women as objects and use us as toys and such, but other men value the opinion of a woman and care for her and what she does. In A&P the author talks about these women's bodies and how each individual part of them is affecting how he feels. Although this story might not have been my favorite topic to talk about, I think that it was wonderfully written and had a lot of thought and detail put into it and I respect that.